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SMALL  TALKS  ON 
AUCTION  BRIDGE 

BY  VIRGINIA  M.  MEYER 


GIFT  OF 


SMALL 
TALKS 


ON 

AUCTION  BRIDGE 

BY 

VIRGINIA  M.  MEYER 

AUTHOR  OF 

"SMALL  TALKS  ON  BRIDGE" 

"SMALL  TALKS  ON  SKAT" 

"VIRGINIA  BRIDGE  CARDS" 

"VIRGINIA  SKAT  CARDS" 


PAUL  ELDER  &  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 
SAN  FRANCISCO 


OEWITT&SNELUN6 

BOOKSELLERS 

9  TELEGRAPH  AYE.     OAKIAUD, 


Copyright,  1910 
by  Paul  Elder  and  Company 


Note 

The  simplicity  of  my  former  books  has  ap- 
pealed to  many  card-players.  Auction  Bridge, 
while  not  difficult,  needs  a  sound  foundation. 
The  hints  in  this  small  book  are  concise  and 
so  simply  worded  that  they  cannot  fail  to  make 
the  stepping-stones  to  Auction  Bridge  easy. 
After  that,  much  license  may  be  used  if  it  is 
done  with  good  judgment 

VIRGINIA  M.  MEYER. 


Penalties  for  Adversaries 

50  Points  for  Each  Trick 
The  Declarant  falls  short  his  bid 

100  Points If  Doubled 

200  Points If  Re-doubled 

Penalties  for  Declarant 
If  Doubled 

50  Points  ....     For  Fulfilling  Contract 

50  Points  .     For  Each  Trick  above  Contract 

100  Points If  Re-doubled 

1 00  Points  .    For  Each  Trick  above  Contract 

The  Adversaries  NEVER  score  in  trick  col- 
umn. 

The  Declarant  can  NEVER  score  Penalty 
Honors  unless  there  has  been  doubling  or  re- 
doubling. 


LAWS  OF 
AUCTION  BRIDGE 


4 


* 


*  AUCTION  BRIPGE I   \'A;>j]'>  iA*'- 

LAWS  ^ 


The  laws  given  below  are  accepted  by  the 
best  clubs  in  both  America  and  England. 

1.  Tricks,  honors,  slams  and  chicanes  are 
the  same  as  in  Bridge. 

2.  The  Rubber  counts  250. 

3.  A  player  may  at  any  time  during  the 
game  ask  the  value  of  the  final  declaration. 

4.  Doubling  and  re-doubling  do  not  affed: 
the  value  of  the  tricks  in  bidding.   If  the  De- 
clarant wins  his  bid,  the  value  of  the  trick  is 
increased.   If  he  fails  to  fulfil  his  contradt,  the 
Penalty  for  Adversaries  is  increased. 

5.  The  Dealer  must  make  a  bid  of  some 
kind. 

6.  Each  player  in  turn  after  the  Dealer  has 
a  right  to  pass,  raise  the  bid  or  double. 

7.  Partners  cannot  double  or  re-double  each 
other. 

8.  Naming  a  suit  of  higher  value  increases 
the  bid. 

9.  Contracting  to  take  two  tricks  of  a  suit 
will  outbid  one  trick  of  a  suit  the  same  value: 
as — 2  tricks  in  Clubs  will  outbid  1  in  Hearts; 
2  Diamonds  will  outbid  1   No  Trump, — the 
one  who  declares  to  take  the  greater  number 
of  tricks  being  the  successful  bidder. 

1 0.  No  player  can  raise  his  own  bid  after 
three  players  have  passed. 

1 1.  The  final  Declarant  plays  the  dummy 


tt> 

''* 


AUCTlbN  BRIDGE 
LAWS 


hand,  unless  his  partner  ,/zrsf  named  that  suit. 
In  such  a  case,  the  original  bidder  plays  the 
dummy.  Should  an  Adversary  eledt  to  win 
more  tricks  in  a  suit  that  has  already  been 
named,  he  will  play  the  dummy  hand. 

1 2.  A  Declarant  who  wins  his  bid  will  score 
toward  game  and  any  additional  tricks  he  may 
make. 

13.  When  the  Declarant  fails  to  fulfil  his 
contract,  the  Adversaries  score  50  in  the  honor 
column  for  each  trick  he  falls  short.   If  it  has 
been  doubled,  he  scores  1 00  points  and  200  if 
it  has  been  re-doubled. 

1 4.  Should  the  Declarant  fulfil  his  contract 
after  being  doubled,  he  scores  50  points  in  the 
honor  column  for  so  doing  and  50  points  for 
each  extra  trick,  in  addition  to  scoring  double 
trick  values.   If  re-doubled  and  the  Declarant 
fulfils  his  contract,  he  scores  100  points  and 
1 00  points  for  each  additional  trick. 

1 5.  Should  a  1  Spade  bid  stand,  the  Declar- 
ant's loss  is  limited  to  1 00  points. 

1 6.  Should  a  player  fail  to  call  a  sufficient 
number  of  tricks  to  outbid  previous  declara- 
tions, the  bid  stands  as  if  the  right  number 
had  been  named. 

1 7.  Only  doubling  and  re-doubling  is  al- 
lowed. 

1 8.  A  new  deal  may  be  demanded  by  the 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
LAWS 


left-hand  player  if  any  one  bids  or  doubles  out 
of  turn. 

19.  If  either  Adversary  leads  out  of  turn, 
the  Declarant  may  call  a  lead  or  consider  the 
card  led  an  exposed  one. 

20.  There  is  no  penalty  for  the  Declarant 
leading  out  of  turn. 

2 1 .  Raising  the  bid  either  by  doubling  or 
naming  a  higher  suit,  re-opens  the  bidding. 

22.  The  Adversaries  claim  1 50  points  Pen- 
alties for  each   revoke   the   Declarant   may 
make. 

23.  The  Declarant  may  claim  1 50  points  in 
Penalties  or  3  tricks  toward  fulfilling  his  con- 
trad:. 

24.  A  revoke  is  established  when  the  trick 
is  turned  and  quitted. 

25.  Players  cannot  score  in  the  trick  col- 
umn if  they  have  revoked. 


BIDDING 
FOR  TRUMPS 


* 


4 


V 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
BIDDING 


Opening  Bids  for  the  Dealer 

The  opening  bid  is  a  free  one  and  on  it 
much  depends.  Information  given  at  that  time 
must  be  accurate.  Later  bids  may  be  forced 
ones  and  based  on  sound  judgment.  Players 
must  be  able  to  distinguish  one  from  the 
other. 

1  No  Trump  with  any  reasonable  nucleus  for 
same: 

a.  it  shows  a  fair  holding  of  high  cards. 

b.  It  cuts  out  smaller  bids. 

c.  It  takes  fewer  tricks  to  win  the  game. 

d.  It  makes  the  bidding  more  expensive 
for  the  opponents  who,  unless  they  have 
really  strong  hands,  cannot  assume  too 
much  responsibility. 

1  No  Trump  does  not  mean  you  expedt  the 
bid  to  stand  but  informs  your  partner  there 
are  trick-making  possibilities  in  your  holding. 

Do  not  be  afraid  to  bid  1  No  Trump  even 
though  short  of  good  red  cards.  Opponents 
will  raise  your  bid  if  they  have  many  of  them 
or  they  will  be  in  your  partner's  hand. 

1  Spade — A  worthless  hand. 

2  Spades  —  Shows  strength  in  Spades  with 
cards  as  good  as  an  Ace  or  King,  Queen. 

3  Spades — A  phenomenal  suit  headed  by  the 
Ace,  King  and  Queen. 


11 


*M 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
BIDDING 


1  Club — Good  Clubs  headed  by  an  Ace  or 
King  and  Queen. 

2  Clubs  —  A  phenomenal  Club  suit  headed 
by  Ace,  King,  Queen. 

All  black  bids  except  1  Spade  is  an  invita- 
tion for  your  partner  to  call  No  Trump. 

1  Diamond  or  1  Heart  shows  high  cards  in 
that  suit  but  not  a  strong  hand  otherwise. 

2  Diamonds  or  2  Hearts  —  Both  long  and 
strong,  willing  to  have  the  bid  stand  or  can 
help  a  Nt>  Trump  call. 

That  Aces  and  Kings  or  at  least  Kings  and 
Queens  and  not  numerical  strength  should  be 
shown,  cannot  be  too  thoroughly  grasped. 
Strength  and  not  length  should  be  shown  in  all 
opening  bids.  Until  this  fadt  is  mastered  you 
cannot  become  a  successful  Auction  Bridge 
player. 

In  many  localities  there  is  a  convention  that 
a  bid  of  2  Spades  shows  an  all-round  good 
hand  (regardless  the  Spade  suit).  The  dealer 
for  some  reason  is  not  ready  to  bid  the  value 
of  his  hand.  In  my  opinion  this  convention  is 
an  excellent  one,  but  the  fewer  the  conventions 
and  the  simpler  the  game  can  be  made  will 
best  lead  to  its  success. 

The  latest  theory  is,  a  hand  strong  enough 
to  bid  2  Spades  is  strong  enough  to  bid  1  No 
Trump thus  cutting  out  smaller  inf  ormatory  bids. 


12 


«  AUCTION  BRIDGE  I     A 

BIDDING 


Bids  for  Second  Player 

1 .  Bid  freely  on  a  strong  hand. 

2.  Double  Spade  or  Club  bids  freeiy  if  you 
are  strong  in  the  suit. 

It  is  only  a  means  of  information  and  an  in- 
vitation for  your  partner  to  bid  No  Trump. 

3.  Do  not  double  low  red  or  No  Trump  bids. 
The  bidders  will  change  the  call  or  you  may 

be  left  with  something  you  do  not  want. 

If  the  dealer  has  bid  1  Spade  and  Second 
Hand  raises,  it  is  usually  on  the  basis  of  bids 
made  by  the  dealer. 

Should  the  dealer  bid  in  either  of  the  red 
suits,  name  No  Trump  with  fairly  good  cards 
provided  you  have  strength  in  the  suit  he  has 
named.  It  will  be  disastrous  to  do  so  unless 
you  can  do  this. 

Bids  for  Third  Player 

1 .  If  Second  Player  has  passed  do  not  raise 
your  partner's  bid  unless  you  have  a  very 
strong  hand  and  can  raise  to  a  higher  call. 

2.  Raise  your  partner's  bid  (if  Second  Hand 
has  bid)  if  you  can  assist  him  in  suit  he  has 
named  or  can  raise  to  a  higher  call. 

3.  If  the  dealer  has  bid  No  Trump,  you, 
having  a  long  red  suit  with  little  else,  should 
name  that  suit,  as  your  cards  will  not  assist  a 
No  Trump  call. 


13 


*»» 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
BIDDING 


Bids  for  Fourth  Player 

Being  a  fourth  player,  you  are  in  a  position 
to  judge  what  it  is  best  to  do.  Do  not  bid  un- 
less you  have  a  really  strong  hand  or  must 
make  a  bid  of  some  kind  to  re-open  the  bidding. 

You  should  not  overbid  your  partner  unless 
your  hand  is  very  strong. 

The  hints  above  given  are  for  opening  bids. 
As  bids  are  raised  and  doubled,  judgment  must 
be  used  and  all  the  information  given  by  part- 
ner or  Adversaries  must  be  carefully  noted  to 
be  used  and  not  abused. 

Doubling  and  Re-Doubling 

Doubling  does  not  mean  you  expedt  to  win 
the  odd,  but  that  you  can  keep  the  Declarant 
from  fulfilling  his  contract. 

Re-doubling  by  the  Declarant  means  that 
he  will  fulfil  his  contract. 

Do  not  double  too  soon.  To  double  a  bid 
of  /,  the  bidder's  partner  will  change  the  suit. 
Doubling  at  that  time  means  that  you  can 
stop  that  suit  and  assist  your  partner  if  he 
wants  to  name  No  Trump. 

Double  freely  when  2  or  3  have  been  bid, 
as  it  is  hard  for  the  Declarant  to  win  2  or  3 
tricks  with  strength  against  him. 

Re-doubling  is  very  dangerous  unless  the 
hand  is  very  strong  and  you  play  a//erthe  doubler. 


14 


LEADS  AND 

TACTICS  OF  THE 

GAME 


4 


4 


* 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
LEADS*  TACTICS 


Opening  Lead  "No  Tramp" 

If  you  have  no  good  suit  of  your  own  to 
open,  lead  your  partner  his  suit,  especially  if 
you  have  an  honor  in  it, —  lead  the  honor. 

If  your  partner  has  doubled  and  he  has  not 
already  named  a  suit  in  which  he  is  strong, 
lead  him  a  Heart — the  highest  of  a  short  Heart 
suit  or  the  fourth  best  of  a  long  one. 

Open  your  own  suit  if  it  is  a  good  one. 

In  opening  a  long  suit  in  No  Trump,  lead 
your  fourth  best  unless  there  are  three  high 
honors  in  it.  Then  lead  an  honor.  Exception, — 
if  Ace,  King  and  1 0,  lead  fourth  best. 

Leads  at  Declared  Tramps 

1.  King  —  from   an   Ace   King   suit   with 
others. 

2.  A  Singleton — if  you  have  weak  trumps. 

3.  Long  Suit — from  top,  if  headed  by  King, 
Queen ;  or  Queen,  Knave,  1 0. 

Holding  10,  Knave,  King — opinions  differ 
as  to  the  lead.  Most  players  lead  the  10. 
Equally  strong  players  lead  the  Knave. 

If  the  1 0  is  led  from  this  combination,  the 
Knave  always  shows  it  is  the  top  of  a  short, 
worthless  suit. 

From  all  other  combinations,  lead  fourth 
best. 


17 


«M 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
LEADS  &  TACTICS 


The  Rule  of  Eleven 

This  rule  cannot  fail  when  players  lead  the 
fourth  best  of  a  long  suit — and  the  card  must 
not  be  higher  than  a  9. 

Dedudt  the  face  value  of  the  card  led  from 
eleven  and  the  result  will  be  the  number  of 
card  not  in  the  leader's  hand  HIGHER  than 
the  card  led. 

This  rule  is  very  valuable  at  declared  trump 
also;  when  more  cards  can  be  seen  than 
should  be,  the  leader  is  playing  from  the  top 
of  a  worthless  suit. 

Short  Openings 

All  two-card  suits  are  opened  from  the  top. 
Avoid  leading  from  the  King  and  a  low  card, 
but  if  opened  at  all  lead  the  King. 

Two-card  suits  are  usually  led  as  supporting 
cards  or  hoping  to  ruff  the  third  round. 

Opening  of  Three-Card  Suits 

A  three-card  suit  headed  by  an  Ace,  King 
or  Queen  is  opened  low. 

A  three-card  suit  headed  by  a  Knave  —  or 
lower — is  opened  from  the  top. 

A  three-card  suit  with  two  cards  in  sequence 
in  opened  from  the  top.  Exception, — Ace, 
King  and  one  low  card, — lead  the  King. 


18 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
LEADS*  TACTICS 


Four -Card  Suits 

From  a  suit  of  four  with  only  one  honor, 
lead  low. 

Four  cards  with  two  honors  not  in  sequence, 
lead  low. 

Discards 

If  your  first  discard  is  a  low  card,  it  is  from 
a  weak  suit.  If  it  is  a  7  or  higher,  it  is  from  a 
strong  suit  The  chances  are  that  cards  must 
be  guarded  in  other  suits. 

The  discard  of  a  high  card  followed  by 
lower  one  shows  command  of  that  suit — but 
not  necessarily  a  long  or  strong  suit. 

The  discard  of  the  commanding  card  of  a 
suit,  show  full  control  of  it. 


19 


READY 
REFERENCE  HINTS 

DONTS 
ALWAYS 


*  AUCTION  BRIDGE  I    A 

HINTS 


Ready  Reference  Hints 

Ace  followed  by  King,  shows  no  more. 

At  declared  trump,  a  high  card  followed  by 
a  low  one  shows  no  more. 

Always  take  a  trick  as  cheaply  as  possible. 

Never  finesse  in  your  partner's  suit. 

The  Adversaries  should  always  force  the 
strong  hand  to  trump. 

Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  lead  out  your  aces 
at  No  Trump. 

Make  your  winning  cards  early  against  a 
declared  trump. 

In  returning  your  partner's  lead  at  No 
Trump,  give  him  the  best  you  have,  unless 
you  had  five  or  more,  then  return  your  origi- 
nal fourth  best. 

Unblock  your  partner's  suit. 

Block  your  Adversary's  suit. 

"  Lead  from  the  short  hand  to  the  long, 
Let  the  weak  hand  help  the  strong." 

"When  Dummy's  on  your  right, 
Lead  to  weakest  suit  in  sight** 

Lead  through  dummy's  strong  suit  when  at 
your  left. 

Do  not  lead  a  suit  that  one  hand  can  trump 
and  the  other  discard. 

When  the  weak  hand  can  trump  your  suit, 
it  is  wise  to  lead  trumps. 


23 


* 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
HINTS 


Never  spoil  a  sure  red  make  for  a  doubtful 
No  Trump. 

If  the  Declarant  does  not  lead  trumps,  the 
opponent  should. 

Second  hand  should  cover  an  honor  with 
an  honor  (not  necessarily  with  an  Ace). 

If  dummy  can  cover  any  card  you  play- 
play  low. 

Usually  beat  the  dummy  with  any  card  but 
the  Ace. 

Do  not  false  card  and  deceive  your  partner. 

Do  not  hesitate  to  take  tricks  with  Kings 
and  Queens  at  No  Trump. 

When  the  Declarant  leads  trumps,  try  to 
stop  it  and  make  all  your  high  cards. 

Don'ts 

Don't  raise  your  partner's  bid  in  the  same 
suit  unless  you  can  give  him  at  least  2  sure 
tricks  and  probably  more. 

Don't  raise  your  partner's  bid  in  anything 
unless  reasonably  sure  your  hand  is  stronger 
than  his. 

Don't  bid  No  Trump  unless  you  can  stop 
the  suit  in  which  your  Adversary  has  bid. 

Don't  be  afraid  to  Double  with  even  a  mod- 
erately strong  hand  after  a  bid  of  3  or  4  has 
been  made. 

Don't  forget  to  watch  the  honor  score  as 


24 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 

DONTS 


GE! 

I 


well  as  the  trick  score.  Reckless  bidding  with 
a  big  honor  score  against  you  does  not  pay. 

Don't  be  afraid  toward  the  end  of  a  Rubber 
to  bid  freely  if  you  are  ahead  in  honors. 

Don't  bid  No  Trump  too  soon  if  you  are 
weak  in  a  red  suit;  try  to  locate, —  on  such  a 
hand  bid  2  Spades. 

Always 

Always  bid  on  a  good  red  hand. 

Always  double  if  you  can  stop  the  suit  al- 
ready bid  and  have  2  or  3  outside  tricks. 

Always  raise  your  partner's  bid  of  2  Spades. 

Always  raise  your  partner's  Club  bid  by 
changing  the  suit,  if  you  have  any  strength  at 
all. 

Always  know  the  score.  Do  not  take  des- 
perate chances  when  much  behind  in  honor 
score. 

Always  raise  your  Adversary's  bid  in  order 
to  score  tricks  (when  there  is  a  chance  of 
winning )  in  preference  to  doubling. 

Finis 

Only  acquaintance  with  the  game  will  teach 
its  strategy  and  fine  points.  The  foregoing 
hints  are  but  the  foundation — the  student 
must  do  the  rest. 


25 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
NOTES 


AUCTION  BRIDGE 
NOTES 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


-' 


JUN  2  3  195J) 


16JuJ5i 


RIZC'D  LD 

AUG10'64-11.AM 


LD  21-100m-9,'48(B399sl6)476 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


